Where can you see Judith Leyster in Amsterdam?

At the Rijksmuseum: The Serenade and The Jolly Toper. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.

What is Judith Leyster's most famous work in Amsterdam?

The Serenade, of 1629, at the Rijksmuseum. A young man in a feathered hat plays the lute, seen from below, his face lit as he looks up from the strings.

When and where was Judith Leyster born?

Baptised 28 July 1609, at Haarlem, Dutch Republic. Judith Leyster died on 10 February 1660, at Heemstede, Dutch Republic, aged about 51.

What is Judith Leyster known for?

One of the first women admitted as a master to the Haarlem painters' guild. Her work was long thought to be by Frans Hals. Rediscovered in 1893. Judith Leyster was a Dutch painter, of the Dutch Golden Age.

Painter, 1609 to 1660

Judith Leyster

Judith Leyster was one of the few women of the Golden Age to run her own workshop. After her death her pictures were given to Frans Hals or to her husband, and it was only in 1893 that her monogram was noticed and her work given back to her.

Born: 1609, Haarlem, Dutch Republic
Died: 1660, Heemstede, Dutch Republic
Movement: Dutch Golden Age
In Amsterdam: 2 works in 1 museum

Where to see Judith Leyster in Amsterdam

Each work with the museum it hangs in. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.

Rijksmuseum2 works

The Serenade
1629
A young man in a feathered hat plays the lute, seen from below, his face lit as he looks up from the strings.
The Jolly Toper
1629
A laughing man holds up a jug, painted in the loose manner that led later collectors to take her work for Hals's.

The life of Judith Leyster

Leyster was born in Haarlem, the daughter of a brewer, and was painting professionally by her early twenties. She was admitted to the city's Guild of Saint Luke as a master, and had pupils of her own.

In 1636 she married the painter Jan Miense Molenaer, and they moved to Amsterdam. Her lively genre scenes were long attributed to Hals or to Molenaer until she was rediscovered in 1893.

What to know

One of the first women admitted as a master to the Haarlem painters' guild
Her work was long thought to be by Frans Hals
Rediscovered in 1893

Born: Baptised 28 July 1609, Haarlem, Dutch Republic
Died: 10 February 1660, Heemstede, Dutch Republic

Judith Leyster: common questions

Where can you see Judith Leyster in Amsterdam?: At the Rijksmuseum: The Serenade and The Jolly Toper. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.
What is Judith Leyster's most famous work in Amsterdam?: The Serenade, of 1629, at the Rijksmuseum. A young man in a feathered hat plays the lute, seen from below, his face lit as he looks up from the strings.
When and where was Judith Leyster born?: Baptised 28 July 1609, at Haarlem, Dutch Republic. Judith Leyster died on 10 February 1660, at Heemstede, Dutch Republic, aged about 51.
What is Judith Leyster known for?: One of the first women admitted as a master to the Haarlem painters' guild. Her work was long thought to be by Frans Hals. Rediscovered in 1893. Judith Leyster was a Dutch painter, of the Dutch Golden Age.